Diary of the Dead

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Diary of the Dead

R

2008

1h 35m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

128 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While on location filming a horror movie, a group of college students find themselves overrun by zombies, and ultimately end up capturing the epidemic on film.

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Critics Consensus

As Diary of the Dead proves, time hasn't subdued George A. Romero's affection for mixing politics with gore, nor has it given him cinematic grace or subtlety.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

It's rough around the edges, dirty in the middle, and stained through with a sort of nihilistic humanism that ultimately unsettles more than the lurching undead themselves.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 18, 2008

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

We want to high-five Romero for finding new ways to off his lifeless marauders.

Jul 16, 2008

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Manohla Dargis

New York Times

It's clever, or at least clever enough to keep you going and interested from start to finish. It just isn't scary.

Rated: 2.5/5

Apr 14, 2008

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Dan Sallitt

Senses of Cinema

George Romero's Diary of the Dead suffers from an excess of personality rather than a lack of it.

Oct 12, 2018

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Mark Asch

Stop Smiling

One needn't be a splatter junkie to miss Romero's marshalling of action across multiple theaters. But the maestro finds a way to slay intellectual and aesthetic antsiness with the same bullet.

Sep 30, 2014

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Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

Not the best but certainly far from the worst of Romero's series of accounts of an epidemic of dead people coming to life to eat the living.

Apr 28, 2011

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Eloise Y.

interesting take on the zombie genre. I liked how it shows society falling apart through the lens of found footage but that’s about all I liked.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

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Daniel D

A bad actor can make good dialogue sound bad, and a good actor can make bad dialogue sound good. But a bad actor can’t do much with bad dialogue. The idea behind it feels noble, but the execution is not there at all.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/17/25

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Robert W

It started off alright, with a premise that seemed pretty funny. I was enjoying the overall silliness and thought it was going to be harmless. But then, things took a turn I wasn't expecting, and the humor started to feel off. Suddenly, there were these moments that felt racially charged, and it just didn't sit well with me. Honestly, I'm just so done with encountering that kind of stuff everywhere. It completely ruined the experience, and now I just feel disappointed with it. I wish they could have just kept it light and fun, without needing to bring that into the mix.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/25

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George M

The only 'found footage' movie I've ever enjoyed. At least we know why the footage survived, unlike something like say, Blair Witch. So people are getting killed and the camera person keeps filming? Yeah, I don't think so. Anyhow, this one has a decent cast and story. Sadly, this is the last good film Romero made. The follow up, Survival of the Dead is a total loser. This is enjoyable from beginning to end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/12/25

Full Review

Sean R

I am a fan of the Romero zombie movies and when it is done right, I like found footage films so the idea of mixing the two is very interesting. However, it did not turn out good in my opinion. Taking us back to the beginning of the zombie apocalypse and having film students documenting the outbreak sounds fun, but the scares are few and the constant narration and cuts to shots of other outbreak areas is too much and interrupts the flow of the film. The potential is there but it is like the movie never really finds its footing. It is not a bad movie, but it is not a very good one either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/23/25

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Jose Z

Muy buena, pero si hay momentos que aburre, me imagino así sería una apocalipsis zombie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

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George A. Romero

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Eliot

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - The Women's Dorm

2:24

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Too Easy to Use

1:55

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - All That's Left Is to Record

2:01

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Family Reunion

1:51

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Amish Zombie Killer

1:49

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Scythe Sacrifice

1:57

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Warehouse Showdown

2:11

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Dead Doctor, Dead Nurse

1:35

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - See How It Feels?

2:00

Diary of the Dead: Official Clip - Zombie State Trooper

2:03

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Synopsis

While on location filming a horror movie, a group of college students find themselves overrun by zombies, and ultimately end up capturing the epidemic on film.

Director: George A. Romero
Producer: Peter Grunwald, Art Spigel, Ara Katz, Sam Englebardt
Screenwriter: George A. Romero
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Artfire, Romero-Grunwald
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Gore|Strong Horror Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 15, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $952.6K
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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